Forklifts are machinery that forklift operators utilize to transport materials from one place to another in manufacturing and warehouse environments. The machine lifts pallets, also called skids, that are loaded with objects. The lift truck is designed with forks that insert into the pallet rungs. Sometimes, forklifts are also known as as Lift Trucks, Pallet Trucks, High/Low, Skid Trucks, Stacker-Trucks and Side Loaders.
The very first forklifts were marketed during the early part of the 1900s by companies like Clark and Yale & Towne Manufacturing. Nowadays nearly all goods are shipped to warehouses and stores on pallets. Forklifts are commonly found inside warehouses and manufacturing plants, where they are used to operate the business smoothly.
The following are some of the different types of skid lifts or pallets: Walkie low lift truck - with electrical motor; Rider low lift truck; Hand pallet truck; IC counterbalanced truck; Telescopic handler; Towing tractor; Sideloader; Walkie stacker; Rider stacker; Slip Sheet machine; Walkie Order Picking truck; Reach truck; Electric counterbalanced truck; Rider Order Picking truck - also referred to as "Order Picker"; Articulated Very Narrow Aisle Counterbalanced trucks - also known as "Flexi Truck"; Truck Mounted Forklift / Sod Loader; Guided Very Narrow Aisle truck; 'Man Down' - used for narrow aisles; and 'Man Riser' Combination Order Picker/ Stacker truck
The articulated counterbalance truck is a kind of counterbalanced forklift truck that is utilized for specialized applications. This hybrid is suggested for really narrow aisles because it could onload and offload within very tight spaces.
Capable if lifting as high as 12 meters are the Guided Vary Narrow Aisle Trucks. The "non top-tied" kind can lift up to 30 meters high. These trucks are available in man-riser and man-down models. This machine should only be utilized on floors which are even and flat.